Libs Must Recover Before Hitting The Road

By Mike Slane

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New York's current three-game home-stand could quite possibly be the most important stretch of the season.

Following Thursday's disappointing loss to the Monarchs at Madison Square Garden, the Liberty have two more home games before departing for a season-high five-game road trip, a swing that could make or break the summer.

"Every game at home is huge," head coach Pat Coyle said. "You have to win on your own floor. It's so tough to win on the road in this league that you have to win at home."

New York fell short of winning three in a row for the first time this season after dropping an 88-73 decision against Sacramento in its final game before Saturday's All-Star Game. The Liberty will host Phoenix on Sunday and Washington next Thursday, and they are hoping to build momentum heading into the longest road journey of the year.
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The five-game trip starts in Atlanta on Aug. 1 and will end in L.A. on Aug 11. The Liberty will then return home for a match-up against Chicago on the 14th before playing two more road contests.

"Every game is big because we're right in the middle of the pack right now," center Janel McCarville said, pointing to the Liberty's 6-9 overall record, which places them just behind the Sky.

"We've played well on the road and we've played bad on the road. We've played well at home and we've played bad at home. Game in and game out we need to play a little bit better whether it's on the road or at home," she added.

Last year, New York went 2-3 on its season-long trip, which began on June 28 and ended on July 8. The only other time in franchise history the Liberty had to leave the friendly confines of the Garden for five straight games was in 1998 when they began the season with five in a row on the road before going on another five-game swing in mid-July. The Liberty won two of three, including a victory over the Indiana Fever in a triple-overtime thriller, heading into last season's five-game road trip. They went on to the Eastern Conference Finals that season.

New York is looking for a repeat performance this season.

Catch the Liberty all summer long at Madison Square Garden. Tickets, beginning at $10, are on sale by clicking here, visiting The Garden Box Office or calling 877-WNBA-TIX.